BRISTOL, Tenn. – The King University men's basketball team bounced back from a Friday night defeat at Bluefield State College with a win over the Big Blue on Saturday afternoon. King placed five scorers in double figures, led by another career-high outburst from
Michael Mays in their 106-82 victory. The win also mark head coach
Jason Gillespie's first win leading the Tornado.
THE BASICS
FINAL: King 106, Bluefield State 82
LOCATION: Student Center Complex; Bristol, Tenn.
RECORDS: King 1-2; Bluefield State 1-2
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
- The Tornado got off to a good start with baskets from Brandon Lamberth and Mays before the Big Blue came back with six straight points.
- Lamberth later ignited the Tornado offense with a jump shot as King went on to score eight straight points.
- A Blake Atwood fastbreak layup gave King a 27-17 lead midway through the first half and capped the spurt.
- King then went on another run after trading baskets with Bluefield State.
- An Atwood triple started the 13-0 run that gave King a 40-20 lead with six minutes remaining in the half.
- Atwood scored eight points on the run that was capped by a Josh Releford triple.
- However, Bluefield State fought back, gradually chipping away at their deficit, pulling within 46-37 with a 17-6 run.
- Mays later ended the first half scoring with a pair of free throws, giving King a 50-39 lead.
Second Half
- The teams traded blows early in the half before King started to gain separation with an 8-0 run where Mays and Releford connected from long range to take a 68-52 lead five minutes into the half.
- The Tornado held their lead in double figures for the remainder of the half before taking their largest lead of the game, 25 points in the final minute before taking the contest 106-82.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Mays led the Tornado for the second straight night, pouring in 28 points. He went 8-for-12 from the floor, including 5-for-7 from three-point range.
- Releford followed with 16 points and five assists while Atwood added 13 points and seven rebounds.
- MJ Foust and Tyler Murray chipped in with 10 points apiece. Foust grabbed eight rebounds and Murray snared seven boards.
FOR THE FOES
- Alex Nunnally led Bluefield State with 17 points and nine rebounds.
- Marquez Cooper followed with 14 points while Darren Crump added 13 points.
- Taj-Maal Toney added 12 points and 10 rebounds.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Mays broke his career-high that was set on Friday night with his 28 points.
- Atwood scored a career-best 13 points, marking his first game in double figures.
- Murray set career-highs with 10 points and seven rebounds.
- Fousts' eight rebounds also set a career-high.
UP NEXT
- King stays at home to take on the University of Mount Olive on Tuesday evening at 5:00 p.m.
- Bluefield State is scheduled to travel to take on Carson-Newman University on Wednesday.
